Thinking about moving back from Denver (Pittsburgh, Indiana: house, find a job, buying)

[nocty]

Hello,

I'm hoping for some feedback as I'm pretty much confused on what to do. My family moved from PGH to Denver as a test due to my family being from California and my wife's family being from Indiana, PA. I loved Pittsburgh but I wanted my family to be closer to come out and visit the kids but I did not want to be in California because the economy and I just don't like the area anymore. My wife has never lived any where but PA. So we moved out here and I landed a pretty good job. We were about to buy a house but it just does not feel right. The main things I miss is being close to family, friends, Steelers, and Pens. Plus the people in Denver are rude and do not know how to use their turn signals...

The main thing is being close to family. I feel like I'm cheating my kids out of being close to relatives on birthdays, xmas, and thanksgiving. The problem I'm having is I'm making around 14k more a year out here than I was in PGH. So from a fiscal standpoint I'd be losing money. On the other side of things I just never really applied myself when I lived in PGH. I think I could land a job in technology fairly quickly making the same amount of money I'm making in Denver. The last thing I want to do is cheat my kids out of a good life. I think they can have a decent life in Denver but I feel like the community and the city of PGH is way better.

Any one ever run into this kind of road block before? Looking for some feedback. Maybe I'm just freaking out because were getting so close to closing on the house? Plus I just miss having that support around. Ugh, what to do!?

[gg]

$14K is quite a bit of money. Hope you like to ski. Hard to say what to do? Flying from Pittsburgh to CA or from Denver is only a few hours difference for a few holidays. Who cares? Maybe you should come back, but you better see about a job.

[onwardandupward]

I'd go with your gut instinct. Put the brakes on the house, try to land a similar-paying job in Pittsburgh, and just wait. You can always stay in Denver if you can't find a job that you feel you can be comfortable with, and there will always be another house to buy if you do end up staying.

IMHO, assuming you get along fairly well with the family here in Western PA, it really does make a difference to kids if they have a supportive family network around. Growing up with cousins, aunts and uncles, and being able to celebrate with them on holidays are what can make awesome memories for your children. And when they reach some of the awful years where kids and parents are constantly at odds, there's always Grandma's house to go to to cool down.

None of this is to say that all families are like this (I'm just assuming from your post that you do have this kind of situation back here), or that if you don't have supportive family around your kids will have problems, but if the family is around and helpful, it can make a big difference.

[pman]

it makes it easier on parents as well

[nolimits76]

I think only you and your wife can determine what is the right answer.

However, with the serious doubts you have going on, I personally would pull the plug on the house purchase. Yes, you will likely lose your escrow money, but that is a drop in the bucket vs buying the house and then having to spend the time and money to resell it again when/if you decide to move back to Pittsburgh.

Also, if you are seriously considering a move back, then now is a great time to start doing a job search in that area. These days, it's too scary to just pack up and move and hope for the best. If you hit road blocks doing your own job search, start talking with a recruiter. That is what I'm doing right now and they have interviews (and a few fly-in's) setup for different parts of the country.

Good luck with this. A tough spot to be in for sure.

[globalburgh]

Denver feels isolated if you don't have any family in that region. My wife and I didn't mind before we had kids.

Denver is a great place to raise a family. But it wasn't worth it being so far from relatives. Plus, Pittsburgh is popping right now. Good time to move there.

[EveKendall]

I always enjoy this cost of living calculator:
Cost of living: Compare prices in two cities - CNNMoney.com
According to its calculation, if you make $80,000 in Denver, it is equivalent to making $70,000 in Pittsburgh. I have no idea what your salary really is, of course!
Good luck with your decision. Being close to family usually does make child-rearing easier.